Iḷisaġvik College is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Logistics Empowerment for Indigenous People (LEIP) program to sponsor Iḷisaġvik students as they pursue their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in 2023.

The LEIP program was created by Naniq Global Logistics, an Anchorage-based multinational logistics company, with the goal of promoting opportunity and advancement within Indigenous communities by connecting Native people with logistics companies for contracting and philanthropic opportunities. In line with this mission and LEIP’s commitment to the health of the logistics field in Alaska, LEIP will be sponsoring the newly branded LEIP CDL Program at Iḷisaġvik for an initial amount of $10,000 for the 2023 term.

The funding will be used to pay student fees for CDL classes, which can range from $500-$2,500 dollars, depending on the course load. While many students at Iḷisaġvik qualify for waivers that defray tuition costs, the students still must pay the additional fees associated with the various classes. LEIP’s $10,000 pledge will be split evenly among the 2023 class of CDL students to help ease these financial burdens as they pursue their goals.

Ben Glover, associate dean of career and workforce development at Iḷisaġvik, describes the new partnership as a “tremendous blessing” for the region. “LEIP’s generous donation removes financial barriers for students pursuing their CDLs. Their donation makes the program free for many students and will result in many more CDL holders on the North Slope.”

If the partnership proves to be a success, LEIP hopes to continue sponsoring CDL students at Iḷisaġvik for years to come.